Dragonfly Cottage Farm Stay

July 7, 2018
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By Farmer Paul

Nestled in the heart of Snow Lake Keep, Dragonfly Cottage offers a unique perspective on our growing queer-positive, off-grid homesteading community. This beautiful timber-frame cottage is all about livin’ the dream, providing opportunities to learn about and explore an active woodland farm and the surrounding North Mountain wilderness. The cottage is equipped with full kitchen, wood cookstove and propane stove, hot shower, and wifi, and is within view of the Bay of Fundy. Situated in a food forest where livestock integrate with natural ecosystems, you’ll be able to hang out with our small herd of milking goats and flocks of chickens and ducks, fall asleep to the call of loons on nearby Snow Lake, and wake to the diverse choir of songbirds that share this forest.

Off-Grid Amenities

Heat & Hot Water

Dragonfly Cottage is wood heated, with a wood-fired cookstove in the kitchen and an optional wood stove in the living room. Wood heat is generally needed during the colder months, from late September to early May. Firewood is provided, as well as a splitting axe for kindling. A knowledge of wood stoves is ideal, but we can accommodate various levels of self-reliance during your stay.

Dragonfly is equipped with potable hot and cold running water. The hot water tank is heated via the cookstove and requires the stove to be lit and fire maintained for at least an hour to get the tank up to temperature. In the summer months, hot solar showers are also available on request.

Farm-Fresh Food & Cooking

Let us know ahead of time and we can arrange a basket of fresh, seasonal produce, chicken and duck eggs, farm-made goat cheeses (chèvre, feta, cheddar) and other seasonal delights.

If you’ve ever prepared a meal with a wood-fired stove, you’ll know what a pleasure they can be to use. Dragonfly’s Amish-designed cookstove has an ample cooking surface and capable oven. The cottage is also equipped with a small propane stove and charcoal barbecue. A cooler is provided along with ice for refrigeration in the warmer months, and there is a solar-powered chest freezer on site as well.

Washroom

The washroom at Dragonfly has a large shower stall and compost toilet. Some guests chuckle at our farm “toilets” but soon see the beauty of restoring their connection to the nutrient cycle! Composted “humanure” is used to enrich the flowerbeds on the property. Consider it a donation! Towels are provided.

Power, Lighting & Wifi

Snow Lake Keep is a solar-powered community. Dragonfly is equipped with 600W of solar and is generally capable to supporting reasonable day-to-day use, including device and laptop charging and lighting. The cottage is outfitted with tasteful LED lighting throughout and should suffice for interior lighting at night. For evening outdoor adventures, we recommend you bring a headlamp or flashlight.

Some Snow Lake residents work online and off-grid internet is important to us. A capable wifi network is available at Dragonfly. The high-speed connection is shared across the farm, and while speed varies with demand, it is generally decent for bandwidth-heavy tasks like video calls and streaming.

Beds & Additional Guests

A unique, multi-level dwelling, the upstairs bedroom has a queen-size bed, while the living room couch below folds out into a double bed, although less comfortable than the master bed upstairs. Note that the living room and upstairs bedroom are separated only by a floor and open stairwell, so privacy between the two spaces is limited. Bedding is provided.

The basic rate is for 2 guests, however the cottage can accommodate up to 2 additional guests (4 guests total) for an extra fee of $10/night per guest.

A few things to keep in mind

Although the cottage is tucked away in the trees, it is centrally located on our farm and you will experience the sights and sounds of farm life – the distant ringing of the bells worn by our goats, rooster calls, and from time to time, small powered machinery. The cottage site includes a private outdoor space, and your stay can be as private or as engaged in farm activities as you wish.

Some of our farm animals roam freely, so unfortunately we don’t allow pets. Smoking and open flames are not permitted indoors, and ashtrays are provided for outdoor use. Due to wood-fired stoves and hard surfaces, the cottage is not suitable for young children. Because of our unconventional buildings, the premises is uninsured, and we ask for your understanding around this and acknowledgement that all activities on the farm are provided on an at-your-own-risk basis.

Off the Farm

Explore the magical Bay of Fundy, a five-minute drive down the mountain. We are also within a short drive of historic Annapolis Royal, with quaint shops, restaurants, and museums. Located within a short distance of Kejimkujik Park, a designated Dark Sky Preserve, stargazing at Snow Lake Keep is second to none. Local trails, lookoff points, and freshwater swimming lakes are all close by.

Or check out our extensive permaculture food gardens and various building projects on the go. (Check out our farm blog to see what’s going on!)

Our hope is to attract curious individuals who are looking for a moment away from it all, or a chance to explore a new/old way of living. We love and respect our land and trust you will as well.

Details

Prices start at:$85per night
/ $70 per night for stays of 7 nights or more

Availability

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Dragonfly Cottage Farm Stay is available for selected dates.

About Farmer Paul

Paul grew up in a yuppie-laden Toronto suburb, though he lucked out having been raised by eccentrics who rejected the neighbourhood status quo and converted the lawn into organic gardens. In his starry-eyed 20s, his obsession with living sustainably subdued his interest in high-tech anything (somehow scraping by with a computer science degree all the same). His interest in farming was piqued while apprenticing at Everdale, an organic farm in Ontario, and studying permaculture design in BC. He's since operated three market gardens, and now takes a lead in garden management and cheesemaking at Snow Lake Keep.